Hipomelanismo en la tortuga jicotea de agua Trachemys venusta

Abstract

The Mesoamerican Slider Trachemys venusta ocurr from several Central American countries to Mexico. The first case of hypomelanism in a captive-born specimen is formally reported. In this chromatic aberration or pigmentary anomaly resulting from genetic factors, the dark tones of specimen’s body with carapace length 77 mm and undetermined sex, were observed pale (discolored), except for the eyes which retained normal coloration, were the patterns of lines and ocelli in yellow and green tones also persisted. Additionally, the plastron exhibited a lighter yellow hue compared to the typical coloration. In the wild, such color abnormalities can be considered a disadvantage as they contrast with the specimen in aqueous murky environments, making it more susceptible to detection and predation compared to specimens with normal coloration.